Serious move in Virginia to defund armed security for governor

Should politicians who oppose concealed carry have the luxury of armed security? – Dave Workman photo

There’s a serious move underway in Virginia to strip funding from anti-gun Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s armed security detail, the backlash from his announcement in October to prohibit armed citizens from entering many state office buildings.

According to Fox News, state Sen. Charles Carrico, a Republican, is behind the effort, and this does not appear to be political grandstanding.

“It’s easy for someone who is surrounded by armed state policemen to tell someone else they can’t carry a weapon to protect themselves,” Carrico reportedly explained.

Now Second Amendment advocates are wondering if this is an idea that should spread nationwide. McAuliffe, after all, isn’t the only politician on the landscape to support restrictive gun control measures. The gun rights community didn’t just wake up to suddenly discover the elitist hypocrisy, but they are finally challenging it.

This sentiment could be reflected in the results of a Rasmussen poll that revealed only 26 percent of likely U.S. voters thinks the country is on the right track. More than twice as many people think the country is headed in the wrong direction, and that reflects a pattern that has continued for more than a year.

As legislative sessions loom in most states starting in early 2016, gun control appears to be high on the list of challenges for gun rights activists. Anti-gunners, inspired by billionaire Michael Bloomberg and his Everytown for Gun Safety lobbying organization are pushing a gun control ballot initiative in Nevada, and they are reportedly looking at other states.

In Washington state, anti-gunners have already hinted at gun control measures they will push when lawmakers return to Olympia in January, with the threat that inaction will result in another multi-million dollar initiative effort as the state saw in 2014 with Initiative 594.

But there will be push-back, and Carrico’s effort to un-fund McAuliffe’s security detail is one example. The reasoning is sound. If a politician does not support the citizen’s right to carry for personal protection, that same politician should not expect to be protected by armed security.

Across the country, there could be quite a list of politicians who might also be denied armed protection if this idea gains momentum. The list would include governors, county executives and even big city mayors.

The past year has offered many examples of gun control failures, from San Bernardino to Chicago, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Gun laws that only affect honest citizens accomplish nothing, and they only provide a false sense of security.